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NYPD checkpoints were set up around the city on Saturday to catch violators who hit the snowy roads despite a travel ban. Brynn Gingras reports. (Published Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016)

NYPD checkpoints were set up around the city on Saturday to catch violators who hit the snowy roads despite a travel ban.

The travel ban went into effect at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, as snow blew across streets and avenues and buried cars. Police said the ban wasn’t only for the public’s safety, but also so snow plows would have room to clear roads.

On the West Side Highway, police stopped cars going north and south and directed them off the snowy stretch. Cruisers inched their way up Eighth Avenue looking for violators.

Amazingly, in a city of more than 8 million, only one summons had been issued by Saturday night. It was issued to the driver of a livery cab in Harlem. The vehicle had to be towed.

“I wouldn’t want to drive in this, we have a car and it’s buried in snow and we would not go out in it. But some people don’t always make the right choices,” one woman said.

Ambulances and other emergency vehicles became stuck as they tried to navigate through the snow.